Identity Crises: Loss, Anxiety, Liberation

Sponsored by the Graduate Forum - Department of Classical and Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures -Wayne State University

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Alain-Philippe Durand, University of Arizona

April 6-7, 2018

Deadline for Abstracts: January 15, 2018

Whether defined through sameness or difference, in a variety of contexts – gender, nationality, race – identity is a concept that has undergone multiple mutations. For many centuries, from Herodotus to La Malinche, from the Abbasid revolution to the French revolution, civilizations and individuals have constructed and deconstructed identity/ies through major crises involving political, territorial, linguistic, and dynastic changes. Although the notion of identity has shifted over time from the collective to the self, these ruptures in the course of history have always forced the individual to adapt and navigate feelings of loss and anxiety with the potential for liberation. How can the individual transcend through self-awareness such sensations of distress and fear? In a world of political turmoil and technological advances, how do these external factors impact our self-perception and construction of identity? Is it possible for identity to become a fluid and multidimensional construct that leads to a sense of peace and harmony?

We welcome abstracts from a variety of fields: world language literatures, critical theory, gender, LGBT, queer studies, cultural studies, postcolonial studies, media and film studies, mobilities studies, the history of art, among others. Topics might include but are not limited to the following:

Fading Identity, Fear, Depression Home, Territory, Identity/ies

Construction of Identity/ies Economic Crises, Globalization

Mind, Body, Soul Power, Control, Surveillance

Refugees, Wars, Natural Disasters Disappearance of the Subject

Immigration, Displacement, Citizenship Empowerment, Technology

Submission Criteria:1. Abstracts and papers must be in English.2. Abstracts must not exceed 250 words.3. Abstracts must contain the following information: full name of the presenter, e-mail address, institutional affiliation and status (University, department, MA or Ph.D., and program), and the title of the paper.4. Presentation time limit 20 minutes (8 pages maximum).5. Send abstracts to: http://linguistlist.org/easyabs/CMLLC2018GC